Estates team and operational staff
Other than all the individuals making up the Transition University community, there are some key groups that you may want to specifically engage with. One such group is the Estates team/Facilities management and operational staff.
Many academic staff and students ignore the teams who keep the university ticking along, making sure the buildings are functional, the food is served, the heating is provided, and the grounds are maintained. But these teams have a lot of experience and knowledge. Here are some ideas for how to engage with them:
• Respect and acknowledge their inputs and limits. Depending on their role, they may have a lot of knowledge on practical issues (e.g. how many chairs can be fit into a given room, where the best place would be to store food for an event), but have less control over what you are and aren't "allowed" to do. Don't ask them to do things that put their job or reputation on the line!
• Take the time to meet and develop working relationships with individuals
• Help them find routes around problems (e.g. can’t give permission to use land for a community garden)
• Be strategic - find the right person!
• Make sure you have the capacity to work with them during their working hours
• Align your projects with theirs. If they want a particular area to be tidy and public facing, situate your community garden elsewhere. If they want help reducing student energy use, offer to facilitate an activity to support this goal
Office Support (from Principal, President, or Rector)
Since you most likely will be working under the authority of the university’s governing body and the Principal’s/President’s/Rector’s office, it is a good idea to think about how you can maximise this relationship and gain support. Here are some ideas:
• Speak the language of principal’s office. Senior management (the Vice Chancellor, the Principal and all in office) love to see positive publicity for the institution. Make sure you send out press releases to highlight the wonderful work happening in the university, helping to make a positive association between the university and sustainability initiatives
• Help them see how your vision concurs with theirs, by using language around community and engagement and energy and money saving as well as more flowery values statements
• Get the students on board. Senior managers care about what students say. Make opportunities to get the managers involved in symbolic action such as planting a tree for sustainability or making a Green Week pledge
It can be critical to get at least one ally in senior management to help you overcome bigger structural barriers. By having this as well as grassroots sustainability enthusiasts you can create a virtuous cycle of sustainability action on campus2.
2. Ref: White, R.M. (2013) Sustainability Research. Chapter in The Sustainable University: Progress a2. nd prospects.
Ed. Sterling, S., Maxey, L., Luna, H. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 187
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